There are many things a volunteer can do to make their time a very successful one in the orphanage project. You’ll care for the children in a variety of different ways. You’ll tidy their beds, help them change clothes if they’re very young, make sure they brush every morning before breakfast and eat properly, drop them to school, help them finish their work and teach them English and other subjects in the evenings. You can also help in the kitchen, clean the orphanage and participate in other activities that your orphanages does to entertain children when they’re not attending schools.

There is no specific qualification needed to join the orphanage volunteer project. However, volunteers are expected to be flexible and patience. You should have passion and love for orphans and be open-minded and flexible during the project as working condition and people’s mentality will be very different from what you’re used to back home.

Rustic Volunteer Travel arranges volunteer meals, accommodations and strong field support for the duration of projects and optional travel packages. In South Africa, volunteers generally stay with host families and accommodations are simple and clean homes in safe neighborhoods. Volunteers usually have a private bedroom, but occasionally rooms will be shared with a same-gender volunteer. Our host families are well screened and are respected members of their communities who live in affluent neighborhoods. Most of our host families have experience with hosting international volunteers. A host family stay is a great chance for cultural immersion and exchange.

Volunteers receive three local meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). We can provide vegetarian meal options, but needs must be detailed in a volunteer's application. Snacks and beverages outside of mealtimes are not provided; however, there are local restaurants and grocery stores near the residences in which we place volunteers.  

Rustic offers unparalleled field support to volunteers to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. Once in South Africa, there are many layers of support for you. The most important support comes from our country coordinator/field staff. The secondary support comes from the host project staff and members of host families and/or a homebase staff. Volunteers will have access to our country coordinator's mobile number and they are available 24/7. Throughout the volunteer project, our local staff stays in contact with volunteers either with face-to-face visits or via email/telephone. Our field staff will visit regularly (every 2-4 weeks) to make sure things are going well and as planned. However, if placement is far from our local offices, staff members will stay in touch via email/ phone. Volunteers are also welcome to stop in the offices at any time.

Specific details regarding accommodations, food and contact details for our local coordinator will be provided in personalized volunteer placement documentation prior to arrival.

Orphanage projects are available in Cape Town (home to Table Mountain, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, and City Bowl). South Africa's multicultural metropolitan cities are renowned for its deep rooted African cultural atmosphere where visitors are always welcomed. It's full of contrasts: from traditional culture and history to modern infrastructure and most of the amenities you would expect from a city. Volunteers can organize several combinations of potential excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place that the volunteers can use during weekends. For example: national parks & harbors, hiking, markets, museums, restaurants, nightclubs, festivals/carnivals, wine tasting, art galleries, whale watching, beaches, hotels, and many more.

Rustic Volunteer and Travels offers a variety of volunteer projects and travel packages in South Africa. You can customize or upgrade this travel itinerary to meet your specific interests. Please contact our travel advisor for more details.